"Patient Advocates' Role Expands to Meet Healthcare's Increasingly Complex Demands" - Steven Ross Johnson
For many healthcare providers, the patient advocate has become a more integral piece of their care delivery strategies by addressing both the medical and other factors that impede patients from improving their health. “What's changed is the breadth of what you have to help advocate for,” said Louis Malone, director of service excellence at South Nassau Communities Hospital. Mount Sinai was an early user of patient advocates, starting in the 1960s, a time when, Erica Rubinsten, vice president of patient experience at the Mount Sinai Health System acknowledges; it was traditionally viewed among both patients and clinical staff as the department to send all complaints. Rubinstein said Mount Sinai's advocates are also playing an important role in the system's effort to become the nation's leading model in providing care for transgender patients, who often face higher rates of discrimination in healthcare settings compared with other populations, which has led to larger health disparities.
— Louis Malone, Director, Service Excellence, South Nassau Communities Hospital
— Erica Rubinstein, Vice President, Patient Experience, Mount Sinai Health System